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Hooked on Melee #1: Never Give Up

Welcome to the first iteration of Hooked on Melee, Kyoto’s new monthly article where we ask our Pros to discuss aspects and fundamentals of the game to help you improve, one lesson at a time.

When I was trying to figure out what topic this first entry would cover, I posed this question to our SSBM players, “If you all had a number one thing that players outside the top 100 seem to mess up on, what would it be?” Bizzarro Flame was able to provide a very specific problem.

“It would be consistency, mainly stemming from mentality. A lot of players right outside of the top 100 have a poor-mediocre mentality where if they are behind, then they easily give up,” he said.

Bizzarro Flame in his Kyoto eSports Jersey

I could see where he was coming from. At my locals filled with rookies and upper-mid skill players, I see it all the time where a better player hits their opponent with a big combo or a sneaking edge guard, and the opponent just loses the will to push forward. You can see the frustration in their face. I’ve been there myself plenty of times.

“I think it’s a problem for everybody,” said SleepyK, SSBM coach for Balance Gaming. ”But generally you see it less within the top 50 because they have a lot of experience. It’s different for everybody, but if you look at regular sports also, it generally stems from lack of experience being in those situations.”

Newcomers and mid-level players can easily lose confidence when they are faced with unfamiliar playstyles or having to adapt when under pressure of being down multiple stocks. The frustration that comes from not being able to properly deal with something can be detrimental when in a match. But as much as I would like this article to feature an easy fix to the issue, the truth is that there isn’t one. It comes down to how you as an individual handles yourself.

“It’s really hard for a solution since it’s so specific to everyone. The hardest would be for someone with depression with racing depressive thoughts. It’s just confidence that needs to be improved upon and it can take several years to overcome in general,” said Bizzarro Flame.

So with this said, next time you find yourself giving up mentally during a match because you feel like you are too far behind, try to stay focus on the present. Even if you lose, what you’ll gain from keeping your head in the game is much more valuable in the long run.

“It’s no use worrying about the results or whether you can defeat your opponents or not,” added the Gannon main. “Rather, you should focus on performing your very best because you cannot change the outcome outside of your performance.”

Becoming a good at Melee is no easy task, but improving your mentality and controlling your emotions can be even harder, if left unchecked. It’s not a quick a road, but it’s one that every player has to take in any sport they wish to compete seriously in.

Never the less, Bizzarro ended our chat with perhaps the best advice I can give in this article,

“Most importantly, have fun.”

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